Use of returnless function¶
ID: js/use-of-returnless-function
Kind: problem
Security severity:
Severity: warning
Precision: high
Tags:
- maintainability
- correctness
Query suites:
- javascript-security-and-quality.qls
Click to see the query in the CodeQL repository
JavaScript functions that do not return an expression will implicitly return undefined. Using the implicit return value from such a function is not an error in itself, but it is a pattern indicating that some misunderstanding has occurred.
Recommendation¶
Do not use the return value from a function that does not return an expression.
Example¶
In the example below, the function renderText is used to render text through side effects, and the function does not return an expression. However, the programmer still uses the return value from renderText as if the function returned an expression, which is clearly an error.
var stage = require("./stage")
function renderText(text, id) {
document.getElementById(id).innerText = text;
}
var text = renderText("Two households, both alike in dignity", "scene");
stage.show(text);
The program can be fixed either by removing the use of the value returned by renderText, or by changing the renderText function to return an expression.
References¶
Mozilla Developer Network: Return.